HL Deb 26 April 1988 vol 496 cc118-20

2.55 p.m.

Lord Hatch of Lusby asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, when the Minister of State for Defence Procurement stated on 22nd March 1988 that he was unable to identify the 1976 contract for the supply of uranium oxide from Namibia (H.L. Deb., col. 91) he was unaware of the option in the original contract of 1968, whether this option has ever been taken up and, if so, when.

The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)

My Lords, no UOC has been delivered to the UK for defence purposes since 1973 under agreements which pre-dated the 1968 agreement to which the noble Lord refers. All deliveries since then have been for civil purposes.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, when the Minister answered my Question on 22nd March saying that he could not trace the contract to which I was referring, had he read the diaries of Mrs. Barbara Castle? She wrote about a Cabinet meeting on 29th January 1976 and said that it considered whether we should take up: our option for British Nuclear Fuels to get another 1,100 tonnes of uranium from Namibia in 1977 to 1982"? Has that option been taken up? If so, when?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, I am afraid that I cannot vouch for the accuracy or otherwise of Mrs. Castle's diaries. The problem is that the events to which she referred took place in 1976, when of course there was a Labour Government in office. I am afraid that I do not have access to the Cabinet papers of that time.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, that is not an answer to my Question. I asked the Minister whether, when he answered me on 22nd March and said that he could not trace the 1976 contract about which I was asking, he was aware that there had been a Cabinet discussion in 1976 on the taking up of the option under the 1968 contract. I am still asking whether that option has ever been taken up and, if so, when it was taken up. Does he agree that his Answer on 22nd March was at least misleading the House?

Noble Lords

No!

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, as I said on 22nd March, there was no contract let in 1976 as far as I know. As the noble Lord has indicated, there was a contract in 1968 to which I understand there were no fewer than nine variations at various times. I am advised that none of those was in 1976.

Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos

My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord will tell the House whether the contract to which he has just referred is classified information.

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, the details of the contract certainly are.

Lord Harmar-Nicholls

My Lords, is my noble friend likely to come to any conclusions from reading Mrs. Castle's—

Noble Lords

Lady Castle!

Lord Harmar-Nicholls

—diaries? Will he take care to read Dick Crossman's diaries also so that he can get the proper balance on that particular see-saw?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, I have in fact read both diaries at various times. I enjoyed them both, but it may be that Lady Castle's memory was slightly in error.

Viscount Hanworth

My Lords, does the Minister agree that uranium oxide is used for military and civilian purposes, and that it is pointless to decide which portion of the uranium has gone where? One might just as well mix it up and say that some has gone to one place and some to the other.

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, unfortunately, to do as the noble Lord suggests would contravene the nonproliferation treaty.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, is the noble Lord seriously suggesting that Mrs. Castle, as she then was, who wrote her diary each day, misinterpreted a discussion in the Cabinet of that day, in January 1976? The Minister says that he has read that diary and the diaries of Richard Crossman, so why did he give me the misleading Answer that he gave on 22nd March? I ask the Leader of the House to look into this, because it seems to me that this was a deliberate attempt to mislead the House.

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Belstead)

My Lords, I am normally very ready to help the House, but on this occasion I see no reason to interfere.

Lord Hatch of Lusby

My Lords, will the Minister answer the question? If he had read Mrs. Castle's diaries and those of Richard Crossman when he answered my Question on 22nd March, did he pretend that there had been nothing to discuss in 1976?

Lord Trefgarne

My Lords, I know that the noble Lord thinks that there has been some secret contract for the supply of this material which somehow we are trying to conceal from the House and from Parliament. I assure the noble Lord that, given the fact that this was in 1976 and I do not have access to the papers, so far as I can tell that is not the case. If the noble Lord would like to call on me at the Ministry of Defence, I should be happy to try to discuss the matter with him in more detail to see whether I can set his mind at rest.